Pegasus Bay is about 45 minutes north of Christchurch on the Waipara Valley wine road, and it is worth the drive if you have any interest in New Zealand wine. The Donaldson family has been making wine here since the 1980s, and the estate now produces some of the best Riesling and Pinot Noir in Canterbury — the combination of limestone soils, warm days, and cold nights on the plains is well suited to both varieties.
The restaurant on site matches the wine programme in ambition, with long lunches built around local produce. The Sunday lunch is a particular event — book well ahead. The vineyard garden is beautiful in summer and the whole operation has a feeling of genuine passion rather than corporate wine tourism. If you have time for only one winery excursion from Christchurch, make it this one. The Waipara Valley has several other good producers nearby, so a full day of tasting is easy to construct.